Investors Looking for Opportunities Are 'Listening More to the Villagers' Needs'

MONYWA, Myanmar—Chipping away at an image of state-owned Chinese companies' being quiet investors, one Chinese mining company is embarking on a public-relations and social-spending spree in Myanmar, attempting to revive a business relationship that cooled after environmental protests by local communities shut down the company's operations.

The company—Wanbao Mining Ltd., a subsidiary of state-owned Chinese arms manufacturer China North Industries Corp.—has promised more than $1 million a year in social investments in...